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A few weeks back, I mentioned that my New Year's resolution was to try more tobaccos and, more specifically, a wider variety of them. My goal for the first few weeks was to explore Perique. Now I'm fairly familiar with Perique's effect on Virginia and Burley based blends, but I was curious to really explore its role in Latakia blends — namely how its spicy notes would complement the often overwhelming, smoky tones of the exotic leaf.
So after some asking around and a quick search on the Tobacco Locator, I came up with a list of potential blends. From Mountain Camp to Samarra, it was surprising to discover how many venerated blends share the combination. Which did I choose? Well, since I generally prefer more full-bodied blends, I naturally gravitated to the stronger stuff — more specifically, Bayou Night.
What drew me to this blend? Well, for starters, Bayou Morning is one of my favorite blends. It only makes sense then that I try out its sister mixture. Though I must admit, it was likely the sheer amount of Perique that immediately caught my attention. A lot of reviewers on the forums and fellow pipers in general have suggested it's higher than in most blends, but it wasn't until I did a bit more research that I discovered exactly how much so. What's the number, then? 50%. That's right: per pound, 1/2 pound of this blend is made up of the spicy leaf.
The initial light was extremely spicy, with noticeable smoky Latakia notes shining through a mixture of sweet VAs, peppery Orientals, and nutty Burley. A few puffs later, however, the spiciness of the Perique began to take hold. The sweetness remained but became far subtler, much like a strong tea with one sugar — creating a nice balance between the robust flavor and body of the Perique and the rest of the blend. On the other hand, the Latakia actually receded to the background, with a highlight occasionally appearing throughout. In fact, I wouldn't even be opposed to smoking this blend in a Perique pipe, rather than an English one, as there's little to no ghost from the Latakia.
Despite its majority percentage, the Perique is actually anything but overwhelming. While in other blends it serves to complement and highlight some of the other components, here it offers a new perspective of sorts — framing the other varietals in a robust, almost cigar-like body and flavor, with the Latakia and Turkish offering a peppery smokiness you normally wouldn't find in Virginia/Periques, for example.
As far as pairings go, I found it went surprisingly well with an organic Lapsang Souchong — with those similarly smoky flavors seemingly bringing out more of the same from the Latakia. It's definitely not something I'd smoke everyday, and one I'd probably suggest smoking outdoors — as the Perique-Latakia combo might not be the most pleasant aroma for untrained nose. That being said, for an especially cold winter's night, I wouldn't be surprised to find myself reaching for this blend.
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Comments
What is a perique pipe? I am new to the pipe and a fan of 60 ring maduro cigars. So far, I am not able to taste the so called flavors in the aromatic blends, Leaning towards trying English blends at the moment with latakia, orientals, Virginias, and perique. Expect to try Bayou Night in near future. Hopefully these blends don't gurgle like the aromatics. Any and all advice/information is appreciated. Thanks Guys! Neil Green
While it is commonly held that some pipe shapes do lend themselves more to some types of tobacco than others, a perique pipe isn't a particular style or shape, simply a pipe that one has dedicated to enjoying perique-heavy blends, typically virginias. In doing so, you can prevent strong flavors that might clash with each other from leaving their taint, a process pipe aficionados refer to as "ghosting". I, for example, primarily smoke English blends, and have several pipes dedicated to the task while also maintaining a few for the occasional Virginia or aromatic. Hope that helps!
Hey Neil, Duane's right. And Duane, thanks for the great explanation! A Perique pipe is just that: a pipe you smoke Perique-heavy blends in. I do it less for ghosting reasons and more for taste. I've never found Perique to leave a noticeable ghost like Latakia-heavy or aromatic blends often do, but dedicating a certain pipe to a certain type of blend can help intensify some of flavors, I think. As for tobacco, I think almost everyone starts out with an aromatic or two. Some branch out into Englishes and later Virginia or Burley-based blends. It's all about finding which blends suit your tastes and work for you. For a complex English, I think that Latakia/Orientals/VAs/Per is a great combo. And since you're a cigar smoker, you might even want to try out some of the cigar leaf/Latakia blends like Key Largo among others. Also, if you're having trouble with "gurgling," try drying out your tobacco for a little while before smoking. If I ever get too much condensation like that though, I normally just run a pipe cleaner through the draft hole (without removing the stem, that is), and that absorbs a lot of it.
Must buy now! I NEED this blend. I alredy love Latikia and the parique just sounds so good in this.
I cannot wait to try this! It should be arriving in the mail today with an awesome Oom Paul pipe. May have a new rotation worthy affair!
The history of perique is an interesting study of trade and how the Indigenous people influenced the world through the use of tobacco. Being an American Indian I still see the sanctity of tobacco and its use as a daily sacrament. Am grateful for the preservation of this technique for our use in pipes and blending with other tobacco. I have not tried the tambolaka yet but it is on my list too.